Sandy lay sprawled on one side. His forehead was damp with sweat, but he was already rubbing one ankle gently against the other in an effort to restore circulation.
“Feels as if someone were poking hot needles in my feet,” he said. “But don’t get me wrong,” he added. “I’m not complaining.”
“Are you burned much?” Ken asked.
“Not enough to worry about,” Sandy assured him.
“Well, here goes,” he said a moment later. He drew his right knee up beneath him and, using that knee and his right shoulder and elbow as points of leverage, he shoved himself up to his knees, keeping them wide apart so that he could balance against the roll of the barge. Then he dragged his left foot forward and put it flat on the floor, so that he was resting on one knee and one foot.
He tried pushing against that fo
